Recently
I worked with Weinstein PR on the launch of the new Jonathan Adler
store in The Pearl. Our focus was on reaching out to local media,
with guidance from Jonathan's NY team, to spread the word. This is
exciting for the business community in Portland, local shoppers and
out-of-towners who want a "Destination" shopping experience in the NW.
The following was a nice write-up we secured in Portland Monthly's "At
Home" section under "desirables."

The prince of witty, peppy home decor packs a punch of irreverent Palm Beach glam into a new shop in the Pearl. See the full story here:

Thursday, May 3, 2012

When you think of the vending machine industry, you probably don’t
think “innovation.” But two Portland companies are working very hard to
bring some new thinking to a rather stagnant market.
One company is changing the machines from the outside. One is changing machines from the inside.

Making dumb vending machines smart

VendScreen has managed to build an Android device that makes old vending machines as powerful as the latest smartphone.
And the vending industry is taking notice. At NAMA—the big tradeshow for vending—the company walked away with five awards for its solutions.

VendScreen provides a rich user interface, using the same
touch and swipe method people have already become familiar with in
using their personal mobile phones. Industry statistics already validate
the benefits of cashless acceptance. VendScreen builds on this and
provides opportunities to increase sales by catering to consumers,
improve ability to sell to everyone who wants to purchase an item even
if they don’t have cash, increase sales through advertising and
promotions, and reduce costs by providing data to improve routing
efficiencies.

Making snacks smarter

Providing innovative technology is one thing. But what about changing the snacks vending machines serve? That’s where Goodie Monster comes in.
From making vending machines fun and entertaining to filling them
with healthy, nutritious food, Goodie Monster is working to change the
way we snack. But they could use your help. And that’s why they’ve
started a Kickstarter project. To help garner enough funding to move from prototype to production.
For more information, visit VendScreen and Goodie Monster.

By Molly Young, The Oregonian
JPG View full sizeBruce Ely/The OregonianVendScreen co-founder Paresh Patel launched. Parkrose High School senior Paresh Patel was looking for a way to pay for college when a classified ad pointed him to his future: vending machines.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Paresh K. Patel is the Founder & CEO of VendScreen, which produces Android-based touchscreen for vending machines. it was founded in 2011 by Patel and Glenn Butler. VendScreen personalizes the vending experience by delivering the nutrition data and advertising to displays mounted on vending machines. The company had recently secured $12 million in its first round of funding.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

"VendScreen, one of the company’s highlighted in yesterday’s USA Today article, deserves credit for recognizing the importance of media relations. VendScreen hired a media relations person who reached out to USA Today and helped the reporter with the article."

See the full story here: http://www.vendingmarketwatch.com/blog/10621983/usa-today-reports-on-vending-videoscreens-as-technology-and-better-media-relations-change-the-market-operators-must-stay-one-step-ahead

One personal trainer's fitness goal: Help cancer patients feel better during and after treatment.
One minute, Laura Rosencrantz's grandfather was a vibrant guy, exercising at least five times a week, enjoying a rich family life and running a big company.

The next, doctors found lung cancer, advised he skip the gym routine and rest. He grew weaker by the day. Leonard Schnitzer, 78, chairman of the board and former longtime chief executive officer of Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc., died June 8, 2003, three months after his diagnosis.

His death devastated and motivated Rosencrantz, his doting granddaughter. She quit her job as a Multnomah Athletic Club fitness instructor, got specialized training and started an exercise program designed to help cancer patients stay stronger while in treatment, recover afterward or at the very least, feel better during the time they have left. She calls it Inpower. Rosencrantz's focus on exercise for cancer patients mirrors a burgeoning trend among fitness trainers, physical therapists and oncologists. Out are the bed-rest recommendations of old. In are prescriptions for workouts tailored to specific cancer diagnoses, to how patients feel and to what they can tolerate day to day as they endure chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments.

Founders come in all types, but inventors are a breed of their own; they’re bleeding edge.

So it is with Brian Lawson, Founder and inventor/leader of Supera Anesthesia Innovations of Clackamas, Oregon. An engineer and problem-solver, Brian got his start in the Silicon Forest of Oregon with the likes of Hewlett-Packard and others in the medical equipment industry. His connection with the veterinary industry pushed his passion button in two ways: His love for animals and the dedication of those who cared for them. “Most of the people in veterinary medicine are not in it for the money,” he states.

He saw the life-critical point, when the animal is under the anesthesia, as a problem area. “Medical equipment for animals usually copies its human counterpart. But with anesthesia, the human machines were overly-complicated and didn’t address the needs of the veterinarian,” he assesses. So, the passionate inventor created, designed and built the superior machine.

Brian spreads his passion throughout his world, working with Supera’s distributors to push them to always “expect more.” The people in Supera do their homework, too. They listen to their customers and deliver what the customers want and need. Brian is excited about the future as well. New software packages have allowed the company to design, test internally and model in a very short time. “If we can think of it, we can build it,” he says with a deliberate voice but with a twinkle in his eye. No inventor ever said it better.

USA Today: January 31, 2012

VendScreen device allows calorie check before you buy

There are 270 calories in that six-pack of Oreos you’re eyeing in the office vending machine.

And soon, with the help of a touch-screen device from technology start-up VendScreen, you’ll be able to find that out before you buy the cookies. Its soft-drink-can-size device mounts on vending machines and displays each item sold, letting customers see nutritional information and filter product information by dietary requirements.

Vending Times: January 25, 2012

VendScreen Raises $12M In Funding

The vending technology startup was one of eight companies to demonstrate their innovations to investors as part of the Portland Incubator Experiment, a business accelerator program led by worldwide advertising giant Wieden & Kennedy.

Portland Business Journal: January 17, 2012

Portland startup VendScreen raises $12M

Portland startup VendScreen on Tuesday said it raised $12 million from investors as it works to revolutionize the vending machine industry.

CEO and Founder Paresh K. Patel announced the Series A round at the Bagdad Theater in Southeast Portland as one of eight companies making demonstrations to investors as part of the Portland Incubator Experiment, the business accelerator program led by advertising firm Wieden + Kennedy.

Oregonlive.com: January 17, 2012

Portland Incubator Experiment graduates first class, including one that landed $12 million investment

It wasn’t until the final presenter of the Portland Incubator Experiment’s Demo Day that the biggest cheers erupted. Up on the big screen flashed one big number: $12 million.

VendScreen had just landed the investment for its ability to attach mobile phones to vending machines, the startup’s co-founder and chief executive Paresh Patel told the crowd. The technology allows for cashless payments and can store data and provide nutrition information.

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